Snow Business, June 2016

LEADERSHIP BY FRANKIE IPPOLITO III Contributor I ts been five years since my dad Frank Ippolito Jr passed away after a debilitating stroke He was the heart and soul of Ippolito Snow Services which was founded in 1973 In the June 2014 issue of Snow Business I was proud to share our story as a finalist for the Greatest Story Never Told At that time I was three years in trying to learn about the business in which I had a minor role My primary job was serving as a division vice president of human resources for a technology company that required me to be on the road and often out of the country most of the time In 2011 I decided to keep the business going and to give it my all My goals for the company are simple grow top line revenue hire talented employees drive operational efficiency and listen and learn Over the past two years though I came to realize that giving my all meant something was going to have to give in order for those goals to be achieved So in January I left my full time executive position and took some time to reflect and think about my choices and next steps Looking back it wasnt a difficult decision with regard to the business The market opportunities in Boston are too big to pass up But it was a massive change and many people around me were speechless when they heard my decision Just three years ago if I even said the word diesel it was in the context of designer jeans not a plow truck My decision will allow me to build on an already strong trusted business keep the family legacy going and have fun being my own boss That said Im leaving behind the compensation of a secure corporate job for the challenges of making a snow only business successful in New England and Ill certainly miss the connection with my former colleagues who were like a second family to me Becoming a market leader Now that Im invested in the business fulltime 18 SNOW BUSINESS JUNE 2016 www sima org snowbusiness I want to see the company grow and continue to become a market leader in the Boston area I also want to focus my time on things that will make a difference for the business and enable the teams success For example I have been working closely with a designer to develop the marketing materials and booth collateral for our first trade show this summer at the New England Condo Expo I will be able to be at the event all day and spend time with prospects something I could never have done when wearing two hats Im also looking forward to unlocking the potential for growth that will come from building relationships and leveraging the vast network of business professionals I have met over the past 20 years many of whom are decision makers for their corporate offices branch locations etc or they are connected to the decision makers in their companies for services that we offer My team while surprised by my decision has been there for me giving full support and helping me settle in It was pretty much business as usual with me just being more available and accessible The biggest challenge was helping the team understand just because I was asking a lot of questions and trying to learn why we did things a certain way didnt mean that things were wrong or there was a problem The best resolution I found was to communicate clearly that I was trying to put myself in situations where I previously was not involved e g Going all in Owner leaves corporate world to focus full time on growing his familys company Frankie Ippolito left his corporate job to focus full time on his familys snow and ice management company Over the past two years I came to realize that giving my all meant something was going to have to give in order to achieve the goals set for the company

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